subdivisions, which could either be operated
separately or as an integrated process. The
two subdivisions are the nursery and the
grow-out pond operation. The nursery
operation is the basis for the grow-out
operation and as such it cannot be operated
without the nursery.
The nursery involves the inducement of the
female fish to lay eggs, which are then
fertilized, incubated and hatched.these fish are known
as fries. These fries are then nurtured from
between three and four weeks into fingerlings
which is the size suitable for use in the fish
grow-out operation.
In-between the nursery and grow-out
operation is what the purpose of this manual
referred to as the primary operation. It
involves the nurturing of the three or four
weeks within which they could grow into post
fingerlings, mini juveniles and juveniles
respectively. These can then be nurtured for
between four to five month into grow-out or
table size fish suitable for sale and
consumption.
Going in catfish farming involves the following
One
Here, one has to determine whether one wants
to go into a big or small-scale commercial
venture, secondly, the pond system to adopt,
Re-circulatory system, earthen pond or
concrete/plastic pond or both.
This is very important. One has to acquire at
least half plot of land in a suitable location.
This means, you must consider good access
road, closeness to market and labour. If the
land is already available, it is good. Then we
apportion it as follows:
1. Location of ponds
2. Location of farm house
3. Location of water supply and lastly,
location of drainage facility. The last point is
very important, as you don’t drain your water
to constitute public
Water supply Source: The best water for fish
farming is from bore hole. One or two must be
sunk to guarantee steady water supply.
Overhead tanks for holding water should also
be installed. The mechanism of pumping of
water must be back up facility. The system
must not fail.
Pond Construction: It is advisable to engage
the service of a consultant. The success or
failure of this project depends largely on
construction of standard ponds that can stand
the test of time. For Farm Business setup, is expert
in this area call 08060243133
For one to get the most profit for a catfish
harvest, it is necessary to determine buyer
requirements when planning the season’s
production. Consider what buyers demand in
terms of weight, frequency, size and price. One
can sell the season’s harvest to fish
processors or directly to consumer. The latter
results a greater return to the farmer.
Most commercial hatcheries offer many
species of fish that a pond owner can
purchase for stocking into his or her pond. A
number of these species are better suited for
the pond environment than others, and some
can actually cause problems. The intention of
this fact sheet is to provide information on
which fish species are recommended for
stocking, those species that are often stocked
but rarely provide the benefit intended, and
those species that should not be stocked into
a pond.
The most common catfish species found in
Nigeria are; Clarias gariepinus and
Heterobranchus
Feed
The largest operating cost is feed. There are
various types of catfish feeds. The type being
used at any particular time is a function of
size of fish being fed, whether the fish are
feeding at the surface or in the water column,
and if an antibiotic is incorporated.
Catfish fry in hatcheries are fed finely ground
meal- or flour-type feeds containing 45-50
percent protein. Fines or crumbles from 28 or
32 percent protein feeds for food fish growout
are suitable for fry stocked in nursery ponds
until they reach 1-2 inches in length. Larger
fingerlings should be fed small floating pellets
(1/8 inch diameter) containing 35 percent
protein. Advanced fingerlings (5-6 inches) and
food fish are generally fed a floating feed of
approximately 5/32 - 3/16 inch in diameter
containing 28-32 percent protein. You don’t
need to depend on floating feed throughout
your production cycle you can learn how to
produce local cheap feed in our manual
Catfish farming is increasingly becoming an
attractive form of agriculture for many
Nigerians especially young people. Farming
fish which belongs to the part of agriculture
referred to as ‘aquaculture’ is catching the eye
of many people as the prospects of profit,
especially at first glance seem motivating
enough. This form of agriculture has found a
huge followers-base primarily due to the
relative ease of culturing catfish, the readily
available markets for catfish, e.g. with
restaurants, especially as catfish is a
treasured delicacy among many Nigerian
cultures as well as the profitability of a
successful catfish venture.
Many Nigerians involved in catfish farming
use concrete ponds or plastic tanks. Both
methods have their strengths and weaknesses
and it is wise for the would-be catfish farmer
to explore these perspectives before making a
decision on which to adopt. While using
concrete pond seems to be more natural to
culturing catfish, plastic tanks can come
handy where availability of space is a
constraint. Using ponds also gives the farmer
the leverage of culturing a relatively larger
number of fishes as pond design can be
tailored from the outset to match intended fish
density. Culturing tanks are however limited in
sizes and fixed, thus limiting the catfish
farmer to stocking the tanks with a restricted
number of fishes for best results.
African catfish usually takes an average of 5
months to reach table size. At this age they
usually have attained an average weight of
1kg. The weight attained by catfish after 5
months is however variable depending on a
number of factors that may include, quality of
fingerlings used, quality of feeds, water
management quality, absence of disease,
stocking density among others. It is not
uncommon to have fish weigh up to 1.5kg
after five months.
The market price of African catfish is usually
gauged per kg-weight of fish. This price varies
across several geographical locations in
Nigeria. On the average catfish can be sold for
N500/kg in Lagos, N650/kg in Makurdi and
750/kg in Abuja. The market for catfish
however is not lacking, irrespective of
geographical location, disparities merely occur
in the pricing of catfish: which is dependent on
the dynamics of demand and supply.
Before venturing into catfish farming, it is
pertinent to take a number of factors into
consideration for success. Rearing catfish is
not merely about buying fingerlings and
‘dumping’ them in a pond and then feeding
them ‘thrice’ a day. From the outset the
farmer should take time to put into
consideration the following: quality of
fingerlings, pond design, feeding program,
water management and well as markets for
harvested catfish.
Quality of Fingerlings: Catfish fingerlings are
of different breeds, just like other species of
animals. It is important that the catfish
farmer takes his time to identify fast growing
and disease resistant breeds of fingerlings to
ensure profitability in a catfish venture. This
can be done through appropriate consultation
with a specialist in fingerlings and physically
evaluating fingerlings from several farms
before making a pick on stock of fingerlings.
Pond Design: Stocking density plays a huge
role in the growth rate of cultured catfish. Like
for all other animals over-crowding catfish
would increase competition for resources like
food and oxygen. This can promote the growth
of some fish at the expense of others and in
the end lead to cannibalism. Besides, pressure
stresses due to over-stocking are bound to
affect the all-round development of fish in the
pond. Once stunted growth sets in from the
outset it is bound to linger. Therefore the
catfish farmer would want to consider an
appropriate length, breadth and depth of pond,
depending on his intended number of fishes to
stock pond with. Also pond design should
incorporate provision for the separation of
fishes in the event that growth is non-
proportionate to avoid cannibalism. Water
management for pond would mean periodic
changing of water and pond design should
incorporate this from the outset to avoid
challenges.
Feeding Catfish: This constitutes the bulk of
the cost of rearing catfish, usually 60% and
above. In most places in Nigeria available
catfish feeds are imported and cost an
average of N5,500/15kg bag. A 15kg bag can
take 700 two month old fishes just 10 days!
While you are in a hurry to start reaping the
profit from catfish culturing, be prepared
beforehand for the challenge of feeding the
fishes. Catfish can be fed once or twice a day.
Excessive feeding of fingerlings increases the
cost of rearing catfish and thus results in
wastage as this may only result in marginal
growth increases. Feeds are also a primary
source of pond water pollution and excessive
feeding constitutes a water management
challenge. Thus the catfish farmer needs to
strike a balance between feeding and water
management. There are several subjective
formulas used to determine an appropriate
feeding program for fish. One is to provide as
much feeds that fishes can finish in 5 – 10
minutes. This can then be used as the
quantity of feed needed for ‘satiation’. Using
this formula, catfish can be fed just once a
day.
With respect to feeding catfish, an alternative
for Nigerian farmers is the use of locally-made
feeds. Unlike the imported counterpart, local
feeds cost an average of N3,500/15kg bag
without considerable growth implications. A
challenge however would be to access sources
of such local feeds as most parts of Nigeria
are filled with the expensive imported feeds.
Water Management: A huge percentage of fish
deaths have been related to water
management issues. Pond design should take
into consideration the pH of water (acidic
water kills fish real fast, basic water is suitable
for fingerlings and neutral water is required for
fries (really tiny fishes)). It is also important
to stimulate the growth of plankton by
introducing manure into the pond before
stocking with fingerlings. Oxygen requirement
for fishes is dependent on an effective water
management system as too much plankton
growth results in competition for oxygen
among plankton and catfish. Waste from fish
as well as pollution from feeds also reduce the
oxygen content of pond water, resulting in
stresses on fish. An indication of declining
oxygen is when fishes are seen for
considerable periods on the water surface
(trying to breathe better). Water should be
replaced from time to time (though this can be
a challenge in places where water availability
is a problem)
The aim of every fish farmer is to breed a fish
to one kilogramme body weight or more in the
shortest possible time, usually between four
and five months if properly done. Unit prices
for table sized are between N500 and N600
per kg at the farm gate. One gets more profit
if one operates a market outlet to cut off
shylock middlemen.
People find it difficult to get the fast growing
species of fish. But, I am happy to tell you
that at farming business setup 08036320607,
we have quality fingerlings you can start your
fish farming business with. Our catfish species
grow faster and heavier than any other catfish.
As you can see, you too can easily and quickly
build a much better catfish farming business
for you and your family; by simply learning all
these tips, tricks & time saving shortcuts that
the top producers use every single day.
And the good news is that now you can have
access to them all in my new guide Titled
COMPLETE GUIDE TO INVESTING IN CATFISH
FARMING IN NIGERIA..................
Our guide will run you through questions you
need to consider before construction of your
catfish pond begins. It will also give you a
basic idea on what to expect when operating
and managing your catfish business.
TOPICS COVERED IN THE MANUAL
CHAPTER 1
HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE BEST
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Introduction
Commercial Fish Production
Sustainable aquaculture production
Why some fish farmers fail
Sitting the farm
Five ways to make money from catfish farming
in Nigeria
CHAPTER 2
POND REQUIREMENTS, DESIGNS,
CONSTRUCTION AND POND TYPES
Types of pond
Advantages of Concrete Ponds
Difference between concrete pond and earthen
pond
Recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS)/
Advantages of RAS
Which Pond is better; a Rubber Liner Pond, or
a Concrete Pond?
CHAPTER 3
POND LIMING AND FERTILIZATION
Deciding whether to lime a pond
Choosing liming materials
Timing and application of liming materials
When to use lime to condition your ponds
CHAPTER 4
REPRODUCTION IN CATFISH
Choosing Your Male & Female Brood Stock
Injecting the Female Fish
Getting the Male Sperm
Stripping the Female Fish
Mixing Sperm with Eggs & Spreading Inside
the Vat
Feeding the Fries
Daily schedules of works in trough rearing of
fries
Sorting: A Necessary Factor
Operational cost for fingerlings production
Diseases of fingerlings
Transportation of fish
CHAPTER 5
MANAGEMENT OF TABLE SIZES
Water quality/quantity
Stocking Good quality fingerling/juvenile
Sorting
CHAPTER 6
FEEDING
Feeds, feeding and feed milling
Feed formulation and processing
Feed formulation table from 2month old fish
and above
An example are as shown below (this is a
proven formula) for a tone (1000kg)
Culturing tilapia for feeding your fish
Handling, sampling and harvesting
Catfish health
Practical preventive measures
Predators and their Control
CHAPTER 7
RUNNING A FISH FARM AS A BUSINESS
Running a fish farm as a business
Operational cost for stocking 3,000 catfish
Frequently asked question and answers
Fish Feed Dealers in Nigeria
CHAPTER 8
CONCRETE POND CONSTRUCTION COST FOR
5000 ADULT FISH (TABLE SIZE) CAPACITY
Dimension/Drawing
Cost of Materials
Labour cost
Cost of Plumbing work
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STEP BY STEP PICTURE SETUP OF CONCRETE
FISH POND, PLASTIC FISH POND, LEATHER
FISH POND, EARTHEN FISH POND AND POND
LINER FISH POND
COMPLETE GUIDE TO SMOKING CATFISH
USING THE CHOKER SMOKER OR COAL OVEN
FLOATING AND SINKING CATFISH FEED
FORMULATION AND PRODUCTION
SUPPLIERS OF CATFISH FINGERLINGS, FISH
FEEDS AND AQUACULTURE EQUIPMENT GUIDE
Call /whatsapp 08060243133
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